Members of Parliament from Karnataka have urged the Prime Minister to order an investigation into the alleged smuggling of poor quality betel nut from Nepal into India.
This not only denied the country a large share of legitimate foreign exchange but also posed serious health hazards, they have said.
Memorandum
The MPs met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister. The memorandum was signed by Anantkumar Hegde, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Shivarame Gowda, G.M. Siddeshwara, Ramesh V. Katti and six others.
The memorandum said that huge quantities of betel nuts were allowed to be routed through India to the land-locked Nepal as per an arrangement between the two nations.
The memorandum added that the import duty in Nepal for betel nuts is lower than that in India. Also, the quality of enforcement for import of betel nuts by government agencies in Nepal was low.
“Under such a scenario, sealed containers checked by Indian Customs officials find their way in very big number to Nepal, but only to smuggled back into India through various border points allegedly in connivance with the custom officials posted at the border,” said the MPs.
The MPs pointed out that betel nut was freely allowed without any import licence. But more frightening is the fact that some unscrupulous traders and importers were importing betel nut by misusing some government schemes. A case in the point is import of betel as a “vegetable tanning agent”, purportedly used in leather industry by claiming duty relief under DFIA (Duty Free Import Authorisation) scheme as per SION (Standard Input and Output Norms).
Further, the imported betel nuts are of poor quality and not fit for human consumption. Yet, it is being used by several gutkha manufacturers.
Some unscrupulous importers have either attempted to import or imported such poor quality betel nut through Kandla port in hundreds of containers.
Source : www.thehindu.com